Mass culling of animals to prevent the spread of disease is a common practice around the world.

But its effectiveness is debatable, says a group of researchers here.

Disease could spread as animals move away from the areas where culling is taking place, say the scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), citing scientific studies that demonstrate this.

Instead, public health policies should take into account the health of both human and animal populations, through means like vaccinating the animals instead of culling them, for example.

The recent backlash against the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority’s (AVA) move to cull free-ranging chickens here over bird flu concerns has also shown that culling incites an emotional response.

The scientists from NUS pointed out that healthy animals should not be culled as a way of managing zoonotic diseases, or diseases that can be transmitted between humans and animals.

Read Also: Malaysia reports highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu

This strategy does not consider the impact culling has on ecosystems already threatened by urbanisation.

“Current policies to manage diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans have prioritised human health,” said Assistant Professor Tamra Lysaght, the study’s lead from the NUS Centre for Biomedical Ethics yesterday.

“But measures such as culling healthy animals do not account for other factors that contribute to the emergence and threat of emerging infectious diseases.”

As ecosystems lose biodiversity, she explained, the number of natural animal hosts for diseases is reduced.

This can lead to the pathogens looking for other hosts, resulting in the emergence of new zoonotic infectious diseases or more dangerous viruses.

She was speaking about her team’s new research paper, which looks at how global public health policies needed to be more aware of both human and animal health.

Read Also: Poultry, egg supply safe from bird flu: AVA

Published in January in scientific journal Plos One, the paper analysed the responses of 32 panellists from AVA, veterinarians, academics and wildlife conservationists on Singapore’s approach to managing zoonotic diseases.

Participants found culling controversial and “extremely difficult to implement effectively within an urbanised area”, the study noted.

Alternatives, such as the use of animal vaccines, were discussed, but participants said these can be difficult to administer, depending on the animal, the type of virus and drug availability.

No uniform policy option to deal with emerging infectious diseases was given, and this illustrates the need to explore other approaches such as medication, good surveillance and open communication to tackle the issue, said the scientists.

One of the study’s authors, NUS infectious diseases expert Paul Tambyah, said that developing surveillance networks will quickly alert the authorities to infections and prevent the spread of diseases, reducing the need for mass culling.

“In Hong Kong, for example, there is a reward system in place for farmers who alert the authorities to cases of bird flu. That has helped Hong Kong keep the virus under control,” he said.

Read Also: S Korea to ban imports of US poultry as bird flu found in US

Developing a comprehensive ecological approach to healthcare would result in a win-win approach to dealing with zoonotic diseases which will not unfairly tax healthy animal populations, he added.

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 14, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

It was five minutes before the end of recess at Westwood Primary School on Thursday.

A hush descended over the canteen as pupils seated on benches began a “mindful breathing” session.

“Sit quietly, close your eyes… Keep breathing in and out, slowly,” said a woman’s voice on the speaker system, guiding them through the two-minute exercise.

Some children were fidgety, their eyes darting around as they tried to grab the attention of their friends.

Others, however, took the activity more seriously, closing their eyes and sitting up straight while being aware of their thoughts, and then letting go of them.

Primary 4 pupil Solomon Lim, 10, was a picture of calm. He later told The Straits Times: “It helps me when I’m stressed. I take deep breaths and cool down.”

Following a trial last year, Westwood Primary has since January introduced “mindful breathing” sessions at the end of recess daily for all pupils as part of a broader “positive education” framework.

Mindfulness is a state of being aware of one’s thoughts, sensations and surroundings in the present, and accepting them without judging them.

Mindfulness, which can be achieved by taking deep breaths and focusing on them, has been known to calm people down and reduce stress in their daily lives.

Ms Sophia Tan, the teacher in charge at Westwood, said this was to help pupils re-focus before returning to lessons.

“Mindfulness helps children regulate their emotions and thoughts. As it becomes a routine and habit, they can use it in other aspects of their lives,” she said.

Over the past two years, more than 10 primary and secondary schools here have introduced mindfulness practices, something which has already caught on in schools in countries such as Britain.

Recent studies suggest that mindfulness can have a positive effect on the mental, emotional, social and physical health of young people.

A study examining the effectiveness of the Mindfulness in Schools Programme in several British secondary schools showed that the more often students used mindfulness practices, the higher their levels of well-being. Students involved in it also reported significantly less stress and fewer depressive symptoms than those not involved.

The findings were published in The British Journal Of Psychiatry in 2013.

The five schools which agreed to speak to ST cited benefits such as increased focus, better mood regulation and greater self-awareness as reasons for introducing their students to mindfulness.

At Damai Primary, pupils have been doing three-minute deep breathing sessions since January.

They have also been encouraged to spend more time reflecting on class work.

International school UWCSEA East introduced its students to mindfulness three years ago, teaching them breathing techniques and encouraging them to notice and accept their thoughts and emotions.

Three mindfulness centres told ST they are seeing a growing number of school clients in recent years.

In almost all the cases, the cost is covered by the school.

Ms Angie Chew, 53, the executive director and principal mindfulness trainer at Brahm Centre, said the centre sees at least one new request from a school a month, mostly for an eight-week programme.

Ms Dawn Sim, 43, the director of The Open Centre, which runs mindfulness programmes in schools as part of The Mindfulness Collective, said that over the past three years, the number of schools approaching her has gone up by about 20 per cent.

Ms Chew said that mindfulness is a secular practice. She added: “People of different faiths are embracing it. Yesterday, we had a (sign-up) who turned out to be the pastor of a Baptist church.”

Parent Jane Divakar, 48, said that after the mindful breathing routine was introduced at Westwood Primary, her children are “now more calm and relaxed, more aware and alert”.

She added that this encouraged her to practise mindfulness at home with them and become more aware of her own behaviour.

tohwenli@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 14, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Last year, a Primary 5 pupil fell 17 floors from his bedroom window on the day he was supposed to take his exam papers home.

He had never fared poorly in his examinations from Primary 1 to 4, and scored an average of 70 marks.

His mother would cane him on his palm “lightly” for every mark he fell short of her stipulated standard of 70 per cent.

But he failed his Higher Chinese and mathematics in his latest mid-year exam. Out of 100 marks, he scored 50 for English, 53.8 for Chinese and 57.5 for science.

This case shows what too much stress can lead to.

Read also: Exam stress among the young: When grades define worth

Stress can trigger anxiety, depression and self-harming behaviour, and cause sleep problems, social withdrawal, angry outbursts and obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

Experts have observed a rise in the number of stressed-out children and youth in Singapore. While the demands of school are often blamed, the stress often stems from multiple sources.

Some have trouble making friends or being accepted by their peers, and face family problems or have high personal expectations.

The NurtureSG committee, a taskforce formed to promote the physical and mental health of children, suggested steps that included training students to look out for peers in distress and setting up a workgroup to study suicidal and self-harming behaviours in children and youth.

Read also: Parents, beware of giving kids more stress

The Health Promotion Board said last month it would enhance the training for pre-school educators so that they can help build emotional resilience in young children.

“There has been an increase in the number of teens who present at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) with stress and emotional problems,” said Dr Vicknesan Marimuttu, a consultant at the child and adolescent mental wellness service of the hospital’s psychological medicine department. “Most of them are between 13 and 16 years old.”

Increased awareness of mental health services as well as efforts to move away from the stigmatisation of seeking help could have led to the rise, said Dr Marimuttu.

Young people may also not be getting adequate support from their parents, who are busy with work.

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12 ways stress is more dangerous than you think

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SCHOOL STRESS IS A BIG THING

Associate Professor John Wong, head of the National University Hospital’s psychological medicine department, said a Primary 6 pupil told him last August that he was stressed because he had to score at least 245 for the PSLE.

His mum wanted him to aim for that score as it was the cut-off point for a good neighbourhood school and she had promised him a laptop.

“The child is not psychologically mature to know he wants 245, but he wants a computer,” said Prof Wong.

“His mum wanted to motivate him. But she didn’t tell him she’d still be happy with a 240 score.”

Academic and social pressures tend to pile up in school. In Singapore, many children attend tuition, enrichment classes or sports activities on top of a long school day.

They do homework when they reach home, leaving little “me” time, and often do not have enough time to sleep.

School is a big stressor because they spend most of their time there, doctors said.

During the Education Ministry’s budget debate last week, Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten) asked if some schools were setting the bar too high for non-national examinations. And Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) called for an end to streaming students into normal and express classes.

Stress is not necessarily a problem but a challenge, said Prof Wong. “Minimal stress may not motivate a child aged seven to 18, but some stress can facilitate his learning. It’s when it exceeds his capacity that it becomes a problem.”

BUT DON’T JUST BLAME SCHOOL

While academic stress can be a problem in the pressure-cooker education system here, social issues are a big stressor for teens.

Dr Chua Siew Eng, a specialist in psychiatry and consultant at Raffles Counselling Centre, cited the case of a 16-year-old boy who had been seeing a cardiologist for his heart palpitations that surfaced whenever he had a panic attack.

The boy had complained of feeling anxious for an entire year. His anxiety worsened during situations such as speaking up in class and ordering food at the canteen.

He slept poorly and criticised himself for not performing well. This led to fatigue and poor concentration, said Dr Chua. The boy was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.

Another often-overlooked factor is that each child has his own expectations, said Prof Wong.

A child will want to achieve something that his parents want or he may form his own expectations based on the incentives or how his siblings have performed.

“As a result, stress occurs. It’s not the fault of the school or the curriculum,” added Prof Wong.

CHILD’S TEMPERAMENT IS KEY

“It’s okay for parents to motivate their child but don’t use a blunt approach,” said Prof Wong.

A child’s temperament is something he is born with and it may result in him reacting differently to situations. “Those who are happy- go-lucky tend to be more resilient,” he said.

“For those who are more sensitive and fragile, their parents and teachers must understand their temperament and make sure they do not get rushed.”

Rather than have unrealistic expectations of their child, parents should find out his interests and capabilities, he said.

Parents may also not think through their demands and expectations to make sure these are attainable. As a result, he added, they do not know why their child is depressed or overwhelmed.

“As parents, we may miss opportunities to validate them and recognise their efforts,” said Prof Wong.

“I learnt from a youth social worker that we need to be there for teenagers when they are hurt emotionally, when they are sad and when they are celebrating.”

This article was first published on Mar 14, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A double-decker bus with three doors hit the road yesterday as part of a study by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to evaluate its suitability for Singapore’s use.

Unlike other double-deckers here, the prototype has an additional staircase reserved for commuters leaving the upper deck to exit from the third door.

While the layout can help improve the flow of commuters, the three-door bus is around 15 per cent more expensive than a two- door one because of the complexity of the design, the LTA said, based on preliminary estimates.

The custom-made bus will ply the route of Tower Transit Singapore’s service 143 during a six-month pilot. It is designed by Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics using a chassis from Germany’s MAN Truck and Bus.

A three-door single-decker bus will also be tested with operator SMRT from the second quarter of this year. The LTA said it will study how the three-door models might “reduce boarding and alighting time”.

The three-door double-decker is also 0.8m longer than the usual 12m, and the LTA will evaluate if it is suitable for the current infrastructure, such as bus stops and interchanges.

LTA’s group director of public transport, Mr Yeo Teck Guan, said: “The review of public bus design is a key part of making public transport a choice mode of transport as we move towards a car-lite society.”

While three-door buses are commonly used in Europe, passengers get in and out on the right, so the engine, located in the rear left, does not get in the way.

Mr Vincent Kee, head of MAN Projects at ST Kinetics, said that for Singapore, a custom design was required to make space for the extra door on the left.

The LTA said it would have a better idea of the eventual cost if a bulk purchase tender was called later.

In general, commuters gave the new bus the thumbs-up. Nurse Desiree Monzon, 25, said: “Getting on and off will be more convenient. The normal double-deck buses have only one staircase, so it is sometimes difficult for passengers to get down, with others trying to climb up.”

But retiree Tham Khai Leng, 69, said it would take time for people to get used to the new design. “After climbing to the upper deck, most commuters will find a seat nearest to the staircase. They will then have to walk to the back to get down,” he added. “For elderly commuters, this may not be so easy.”

This article was first published on Mar 14, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The founder and senior paster of New Creation Church has warned of fake Facebook accounts in his name being used to canvas for funds and personal details of individuals.

On Joseph Prince’s official Facebook page, a note was posted earlier today (March 14) by “Team JP”, presumably the social media team which managing his account.

It said that there are Facebook users using fake Joseph Prince Facebook accounts to “private message individuals to ask for their personal details or to raise money for their own causes, like orphanages, etc…”

“Please be aware that officially we do not endorse any of these fraudulent organizations and we do advise you NOT to support any of these causes,” the post added.

Team JP also clarified that it does not use Facebook to raise any funds for other organisations and that it does not send private mesages or friend requests to individuals.

The post was shared more than 110 times as of Tuesday morning.

A number of Facebook users also commented that they sensed something amiss after receiving such private messages and reported it to the authorities. Others said they just ignored the messages.

One user Cathy Skarsten wrote: “I have already reported on and had one of them removed.”

Mace Chambers wrote: “I got a private message from a fake Joseph Prince profile last night, offering to give me a free $1,500. I reported it and it was shut down.”

The church has more than 31,000 members who meet at its 5,000-seater Star Performing Arts Centre. The venue, which cost $500 million and is located in the Star integrated development in Buona Vista, was reportedly fully paid for early last year.

sujint@sph.com.sg